Stock Photo Description: Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries, which predates the International Calendar (based on the Gregorian Calendar) we use at the present day which goes back only some 425 years. The calendar measures time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in months, years and centuries, entirely based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars. There are different ways to name a Chinese year. By an animal (like a mscot). There are 12 animal names; so by this system, year names are re-cycled every 12 years.By its Formal Name (Stem-Branch). In the 'Stem-Branch' system, the years are named in 60-year cycles, and the Name of the Year is repeated every 60 years. It is always an occasion for a big parade with lions, dragons, drums.

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